i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! [ male announcer ] try new alka-seltzer plus severe allergy to treat allergy symptoms plus sinus congestion and pain. >> welcome to newsroom international. i'm suzanne malveaux. here's what's going on right now. the world, of course, watching and anticipating the stage for the first presidential debate. the university of denver in colorado. now, this is where for 9 on

minutes president obama, former massachusetts governor mitt romney will go at it tonight head-to-head, face-to-face, and while they're on the stage, whole lot will be happening behind the scenes. want to bring in cnn political director mark preston who gives us a look. >> heetsz head inside where the action is going to take place. >> she must be wonder whoing will be sitting in the audience tonight for this first presidential debate. i don't know the answer, but peter here with the commissioner on presidential debates does. >> on wednesday night at the university of denver we'll have students, vip's, and those that the campaigns have invited. they'll be on floort and on the balcony behind us. >> how do you get invited if you don't get an invitation from one of the candidates? >> it would be very difficult to get into the debate. >> who is going to be at that far podium? >> at the far podium will be governor romney, and then at the

near podium will be president obama. >> how is it going to work? who will get the first question? >> mr. layer will direct the first question to president obama. will he have two minutes to respond, and then governor romney will have two minutes to respond to that same question. >> how is this all going to work in this 90-minute debate format? >> we think having the six segments will really encourage details e detailed discussion about these topics, and mr. layer will try to facilitate an in depth discussion that is substantive and really focuses on the details. >> so you might think the best seat in the house is on the floor, but i would argue it's on this riser right here, so we're wr all the technical magic happens right now where we'll be broadcasting the debate, so it's going to be where candy krocrow is going to be sitting. >> i'm sitting in ms. seat right here. we're in the press filing where hundreds of journalists will be here tonight reporting on the debate. there are tv monitors set up, and in a sign of the times, it

looks like mitt romney has his own tv studio set up. probably a place where they can put guests out to do interviews with local television stations or across the country. a place where they'll be watching the debate. not to be outdone, it looks like barack obama has the same kind of setup. of course, these two studios but up against what we call the spin room. spin room is where we're going to see surrogates and some of the top campaign officials that are going to come after the debate and they're going to try to tell us why they think their candidate won. >> mark joining us live from the scene of the debate. loss no other spot where i would rather be. that is incredible. i don't know if a lot of people actually really realize that you have folks who are coming in and who are just trying to convince you this is a guy who won, this is a guy who lost, and, of course, mark, you and our team will make sense of all of that. how many international jushlists

are there? >> well, they say there's 700 foreign journalists being credentialed for this debate. that's an enormous amount. 3,000 journalists total who are here on site just covering this debate. i mean, it just goes to show you how important this debate is going to be tonight. >> and the world is watching. give us a sense of new poll numbers that actually would put these two into perspective here. when you talk about the key battleground states, the ones that they have to have if they're going to win. >> well, you know, suzanne, we always talk about the macronumber. the american public is going nationally in this contest, but i'll tell you what, it is going to be won or lost in nine key battleground stailgts states. three new polls out from nbc, wall street journal, maris. just a few hours ago florida, virginia, ohio. let's take a quick tour of those states. in florida right there it shows that the race right now in a dead tie right now.

this state is crucial where are good news for mitt romney who has had some terrible news in the past few weeks. a lot of people have said his campaign has sputtered, but those are two good states. where there is bad news is you head to the midwest to ohio. it shows that right there barack obama has a pretty good lead right now in that battleground state, suzanne. >> i know at the debate tonight it will be focused on domestic issues. when you look at both of these counties here, of course, one the incumbent, the other one who is trying to make the case that his policies would be better than the president's, who has the advantage? >> well, you know, that's a good question because they both say that they have the answers to try to turn the economy around xshgs it really comes down to appealing to we think about 6% of the electorate right now who hasn't decided who they're going to vote for. of that 6% they live in nine states, including the state that i'm standing in right now. the other states that we're really focussing on as we just talked about, virginia, florida, ohio, it's also nevada, iowa,

new hampshire. it's all across the spectrum of who these candidates are trying to reach out to, suzanne. >> and right where you rshgs of course, you mention in colorado nine electoral votes. critical to get them to the magic nm number needed to win. president obama seems to have the advantage in this state, and, of course, the dnc held their convention there back in 2008. how much does it matter to have the hometown advantage, to have the people who are sitting in that audience and perhaps you are ahead in the polls? does it make that much difference in a debate setting? >> well, he certainly has a little bit of a lead right now, according to the latest cnn poll of polls, but it's only by a few points right now. i don't think having the debate here is really going to matter about persuading coloradoans to vote for either of them. back in 2008 one of the reasons why democrats held their convention in colorado, they held it here in denver. it's because they believed that it would help them win that state. now, of course, they're holding their convention -- or they held their convention down in north carolina, in charlotte just a few weeks ago. part of the reason they chose

north carolina is that they think that they could win north carolina this time around. we'll have to wait and see, but it really comes down to what happens tonight, who wins or loses, who tripped and who delivers the best performance, suzanne. >> we'll be watching. thank you, mark. look for the candidates and see to see their human side. how they actually handle an argument or might go off script, loosen up, laugh or two. a little bit of humor has helped debaters in the past, and sometimes a lot. >> i will not make age an issue of this campaign. i am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. >> but committee get things done? i believe i can. >> yes. how has the marshall debt personally affected each of your lives? >> all right. that was the moment in 1992 then

president george h.w. bush looked at his watch during the debate with bill clinton and ross perot. want to talk to dean, a stand-up comedian, writer, and, of course, contributor. dean, you know performing. you have studied these two guys. you write in your blog the candidates who are funny in the debates tend to get elected. what do you think? either one of these guys going to get a laugh? >> i think they're going to try. i'll be honest with you. let's be honest, you don't need a political consultant to tell you, if you make people laugh, you're creating a bomb with them. you're getting an organic disorderly action. they're laughing and they're feeling more warm to you, and i think it's a thing that's overlooked by mft candidates. i think look at ronald reagan's joke. classic. he used it. he destroyed an issue and made himself more likable at the same time. >> do they need to go in with a strategy to be funny, because sometimes when you plan these things and you bomb, it looks even worse. >> i can tell you, i have told many jokes that have bombed in my career. i can assure you the audience gets angry, and they want their money back. i'm not giving it back. you know, you have to make it organic. you have to have some sense of comedy timing. use it at the right place.

if you come out with a bunch of one-liners, it's not going to work. it has to be more organic than that, and i'm hoping these guys have the right people to work with them to tell them here might be the right time to use a joke. >> let's take a listen and a look at how they deliver a good joke. >> sure. >> which reminds me of an old saying. what's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? a pit bull is delicious. >> wenl in dubuque, iowa. i was on one-half of the stage, and i was on the other, and her half hour of the stage collapse and she still down and land hoerd back side, and got up and said, well, i fell on de-butt in dubuque. >> dean, they both tried there. to be fair, usually there are script writers obviously for the president and those white house correspondence dinners thoosh they're not writing a lot of his own -- his delivery is generally

funny. we see mitt romney taking a stab at humor. that seemed to be a little bit more spontaneous. what do you make of both of these guys and their ability to elicit a response where they like -- people actually like them? >> i think with president obama we've seen at the correspondents dinner, he has timing. committee do well with comedy. he is just comfortable with it. mitt romney is a little uncomfortable with comedy. you can see it. i think he is a little uncomfortable in his own skin on some level. if are you watch and someone is really relaxed and they tell a joke, they're timed well and they're not force it, better laughs. we don't laugh as much, and i see in comedy clubs and with people on television or business leaders trying to be funny, same thing. start with a strong joke. if either are going to do it tonight, start with the best joke at some place, because it's laughs and you'll have confidence. it will build credibility that you can be funny. >> dean, you know, we're going into this debate. it's obviously about xhesic policy. it's going to be a lot about economics, of course, and people are going to be looking to those guys with some serious solutions because a lot of people are suffering here. is there any topic that they

should actually open up with a joke or try to make humor or anything you think they should stay away from? >> i think -- well, i think you don't make fun of people who are suffering. that's easy. i think a joke about yourself. i think a self-deprecating joke can be a great thing to bring people, and i think especially in the case of mitt romney who as polls show not as likable as president obama. tell a joke, and they feel like they're showing you a glimpse of who you are, and you do it at your own expense subtly, it's a great tool. it's really something overlooked by manufacture these politicians. >> dean, we'll be watching for the humor. >> be too. thanks, suzanne. >> see you tomorrow. >> one politician who is not afraid to show her personality. >> in ohio! 155 -- -- tonight's debate is going to pan out. we're going to talk to her live in the next hour of cnn newsroom. first presidential de2012

tonight. watch right here on cnn starting at 7:00 eastern. here's more of what we're working on for this hour at nauz room international. >> car bombs through syria. we're going to talk to cnn's own nick robertson who just got back. sometimes the currency plummets by 40% in a single week amid the pressure of u.s. sanctions. anytime soon. andp at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. so does aarp, serving americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp dicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. to find out more, call today.

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protests are raging today in iran. tehran residents flooded one of city's largest bazaars shouting and setting garbage fans on fire. people are furious about how far the iran wran currency has fallen in trading, particularly against the u.s. dollar. now, iran's president gave a speech yesterday saying his government not to blame for the money crisis. he says it's the west. it's the united states, the sanctions that amount to warfare against iran. i want to bring in holly. confwrat las vegas on your emmy, by the way. >> for the cnn internationaled team and when we covered the egyptian revolution and certainly the story for which we were recognized, the fall of

hosni mubarak. really the deline. >> do we know if that's true? >> if what is true sf. >> is it the sanction that is are really doing this? >> part of it is when you bring dollars in, if that amount of dollar income is reduced, then you're going to have less to play with inside the country. why are people so unhappy? it's because it has led to inflation, buzz when you are an iranian factory and you need spare parts, and you need supplies that you need to buy outside of iran, and then if the value of your kurn has fallen 40% in one week, that's how much more expensive it is for you to buy those parts. we saw it on the streets of tehran outside of one of those main bazaars.

it's leading to a lot of anger among ordinary iranian residents who have to spend a lot more of their income to buy everyday goods. >> is it going to make a different to have a new leader, or the ayatollah who pulls the strings? >> it's alleges a tussle in iran between the presidency and the clerical leadership, and part of the motivation of some of those protests, some say, is perhaps that you have for blaming the president of not being eyipd to handle those. one of the reports is that when you call traders in dubai, a major financial center in that part of the world, saying, you know, what is the quote on the rielle, the iranian currency. they say we have lost touch with our counterparts. we cannot even quote this currency anymore. so we don't know exactly how

much more it's fallen over the last several hours. >> that's crazy. when you don't even realize how much your -- it's the worth, the value of your currency. these are very angry people out there on the streets today. a smaller number of people, but it gives you a sense of how frustrated they are economically at this stage because of what's happening in their currency. there are reporters we've spoken to inside of the country who said that iranians are looking at the boards. >> absolutely. >> the exchange rates are sort of blink and furiously falling minute by minute with their just jaws dropped to the floor. inplace is also a big deal.

>> we'll see where the boiling point is. holly, good to see you. congratulations. we've shown you the veals as well as the consequences. how are the people in syria actually coping with the mad snns we'll talk to a reporter who has been inside the war zone. let's say you want to get ahead in your career. how do you get from here... to here? at university of phoenix we're moving career planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. in fact, by thinking about where you want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work.

bodies litter the streets in syria's largest city today. opposition activist saz at least 40 people were killed. about 90 wounded when car bombs exploded in aleppo. they say most of the dead were government forces. three of the explosions happened in a popular public square. a fourth car bomb detonated near the city's chamber of commerce. i'll bring in nick robertson who is just back from syria. it's just great to see you here in person. out of harm's way. congratulations on your emmy award as well.

>> we met some of them in a beauty salon trying to live their lives normally, but they don't necessarily support assad. >> do they believe this is going to end, and it's going to end well, or do they believe that this killing will just continue for a long period of time? >> i think people right now believe that it's going to go on, that it's going to continue, that there's no immediate end in sight. they just kind of get on -- they're sort of in the middle class who are less well off and less affected by the battles themselves. they're just trying to get on with their lives, but i think they all know that this ultimately is going to come to just a worsening situation where there's more loss of life. i think what we've seen, for example, in alleppo today with those car bombs that makes it look like the battle is turning into as we saw in iraq, and certainly some of the groups

that are getting involved in the fight with -- on the rebel side using tactics that have been borrowed from al qaeda and others. that's why we're beginning to see some of those tactics. >> there are 30,000 people, perhaps more who have been killed over the course of this uprising. talk about what it is like for those people, the people you meet, the people you talk to who are experiencing this. >> you know, it's amazing. when we were there in january in damascus, you had a real sense that people were utterly afraid of how the war was going to go. now the war has begun, and they see what it looks like, how it affects their lives. they can smell it and see it and hear it. they're almost sort of used to it in a way. in fact, that's what people are telling us. they are used to it now, and they're trying to get on with their lives as best they can. >> we know that the presidential candidates, they're going to be face-to-face, and obviously they've got a different approach to syria. they're talking about the president not using military action, but trying to find some way to support the rebels, get rid of assad, and you have mitt romney who is talking about what he says is something that is more aggressive.

what do the syrian people tell you? what do they want? >> this is really complicated. they feel if they're pro-government or even sort of -- they haven't been affected by the war, they may not be pro government, but they're afraid of the rebels because they don't see them as being united and they're afraid of what will come with them in a power vacuum. they would say stop even giving the rebels any sense that you are going to support them. even if you are only giving them communications equipment, stop it. make them realize that they need to come to negotiating table. if they're on the rebel side, they say, look, they're abandoning us. you want to get rid of assad, just give us the weapons and let us get on with it, and we can finish it ourselves, but what is very clear through all of that is there's no unity among although different opposition groups. there's no emerging leader, and what is -- what will be created by further fighting? there is more bloodshed. this is what is set to happen. more bloodshed, and a potential for longer term power vacuum

than a negotiated solution. i mean, these are essentially the two choices. lots of bloodshed. a negotiated solution that gets rid of assad. >> nick, you're going to be going back to the area soon. how is this going to play out? >> it's going to play out very badly as things stand right now. nobody is prepared to back down. the rebels say they'll fight to the end. assad has got a reconciliation program, but it's essentially a -- to shell them into submission. the rebels aren't going to submit, and it's a population caught in the middle, and the battle will be fought around them, and it's going to land on their homes, and they're the ones who are going to suffer. this is what we're going to see. the casualty toll is gradually going up every day, every week, and without a dialogue, that's the scenario, and it will get worse, and it will spill over and affect the region more greatly, and it will raise tensions and ultimately without a negotiated solution there will be a serious power vacuum and a lot of infighting. >> nick, i applaud your

journalism and your courage, and i certainly wish you the best and safety in your assignment. thank you, nick. good to see you. four americans died, now all signs point to a group lirnked al qaeda being responsible, so what could the military have done to stop the attack in libya? we get a live report. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. ♪ the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling.

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house republicans want answer from the secretary of state herself. cnn has obtain aid letter to hillary clinton demanding to know why more wasn't done to protect american diplomats on the ground in the months leading up to the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. our jill dougherty is reporting that the gop is also charging that requests for additional security were ignored. >> reporter: congressional republicans charged there were numerous threats, security braechz, and attacks in libya leading up to the killing of ambassador chris stevens and three other americans.

for example, stevens, they say, took regular early morning jogs around tripoli with members of the security detail, but according to their sources, a pro-gadhafi facebook page trumpheted those runs, posting a threat against the ambassador along with a stock photo of him. stevens stopped running for about a week. then resumed. >> all indications are the ambassador was not reckless, and he took the advice always of his security forces, including sometimes when they said that meetings needed to be canceled, so i think that this is a failure of intelligence, a failure of security, and a failure of judgment, but not of the now diocesed ambassador. >> there were other security braechz, according to the committee and a sale that blew a hole in the security perimeter at the north gate of the benghazi mission. two rocket propelled grenade rounds were fired at the benghazi office of the red cross. and the convoy carrying the british ambassador was attacked by a militant with a grenade.

the letter from the house oversight and government reform committee says multiple u.s. federal government officials told them that the u.s. mission in libya made repeated requests for increased security in benghazi, but was denied these resources by officials in washington. however, state department officials tell cnn that security upgrades were made to the benghazi mission because of those incidents and others. secretary of state hillary clinton wrote back. her spokesman said at this point she could not comment on specific questions, but the department is amassing all the documents requested. >> we want to get to the bottom of precisely what happened and learn the lessons we needed to learn from it. we are taking this very, very seriously. in light of the pact that the

romney campaign have been criticizing how the obama administration has handled this. >> well, that's, of course, with democrats that are saying that over here at the state department you are never going to get them to say that, suzanne. it's simply not what they would do. if there were problems or there wasn't enough protection, they want to take that as a lesson for other places in the world where diplomats are working. right now what they're saying is they're collecting all of the documents and all of the information that they have to and they will make them available. >> do we expect that the secretary is actually going to testify before this committee? is there actually precedence for this? >> you know, i asked that yesterday, in fact, and they said she was not asked in that letter to testify, but there will be herself -- the state department official says there will be testifying. dwoent know precisely at this point who they are.

don't forget there are, like, three investigations. you have the fbi investigating. you have the state department's own accountability review board. there's quite a lot of information that they're going to amass for three different purposes. now trying to make a dent in the polls. [ woman ] before allegra, my allergy medicine

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snoo they've been prepping for tonight, of course. president obama and mitt romney, candidates going face-to-face for the first time. the debate will focus on domestic policy only. half the time it's going to be dedicated to the economy. there's also going to be a segment on health care, and one on governing leadership and style. joining us from washington to

talk about it, democratic strategist donna rizell and anna navarro. both cnn contributeors. this is exciting. i think this is what we all kind of live for when you are into politics. clearly, they're going to be lots of other people who are really just tuning in here treeing to figure out which one they like better. one of the questions that we know is going to be front and center each candidate, whether or not the voters actually trust them in handling the economy. mitt romney says he is going to create 12 million new jobs. is he going to cut income tax rates by 20% to make up the difference by eliminating deductions in credit. is he going to get into some of these details here about how this is all going to shake out? anna, start with you. >> you know, suzanne, i don't know how much time is loued in the debate to go into real detail of a plan. certainly you can't go into detail about 59 points, but dow hope he chooses two, three, four points to really focus on, make the sale. this is his strength. it should be something that he

is able to sell well. more than four million jobs have been added back into the economy since he took office. you got growth. it's been stuck at 1%, which really is pretty disastrous for a recovery. what does he have to say to convince voters that, you know what, stick with me, stick with my plan? >> well, first of all, i don't think 90 minutes is long enough for mitt romney to explain his 59-point plan. or if i can figure out if it adds up and not add up to the federal deficit. i think president obama needs to make his points very clear and concise and not try to give us too many soundbytes. first of all, he should say my policies helped to end the greatest economic disaster since the great depression. then, number two, he should stress that we've created more

than five million jobs. those job numbers have been revived, of course. the president needs to be clear that his policies and the policies that he has proposed to congress that congress will not deal with because they're more focused on theron re-election and not focused on getting the american people back to work. he said his policies will continue to bring about jobs. it will fasten economic growth in this country, and that he has a plan to deal with the federal deficit as well. i think the president can say that. >> as long as we don't have a wardrobe malfunction, we're good. >> we'll keep it rated g. anna, what are some of the pit falls that romney has to avoid here, because, you know, both candidates have strengths and weaknesses. if you are advising them, what are the fit falls he has to avoid? >> well, i would say to him, mitt, don't try to be funny. you're not funny. you're at your best when you're

serious. do not sing. go out there, be authentic, be genuine. now everybody is going to be looking for singers because somebody in his campaign talked about him prepping singers. i think he does need to get specific, and he needs to also smile, be likable. he has a likability gap. you know, he is -- he can be likable. go and be on, and no oops moment, please. >> no oops moments. donna, same question to you. obviously, the president has strengths and weaknesses. what are the things that he needs to avoid doing this evening? >> well, first of all, as a single lady, let me be very honest. if they're both very appealing on the eyes, so i know they'll look good. they'll sound great. i think it's very important to look in the camera and talk to us and jim lair is a great american. he is a wonderful moderator. talk to us. talk to us in our living rooms and our kitchens. whether we're working, watching

at the airport. >> president, don't get down. look straight in the camera. don't give us long sentences. keep it clear. keep it concise. mr. president, you're going to do a good job. >> what an anniversary. spend is doing a debate here. i want both of you to take a look at this. this is the latest poll that came out, cnn-orc poll. latino voters choice for the president. whopping 70% chose president obama compared with 26 terz for mitt romney. romney here is doing worse than john mccain did back in 2008 who got 31%. the latino vote. also worse than george w. bush in 2004 who got 44% of the latino. anna, to you. is there anything at this point that romney can do to get the

latino support up? >> well, suzanne, i think praying on novina might help. look, he -- we had a tough primary on the republican side. i think mitt romney has been an unknown commodity to his hispani hispanics. he doesn't come from a border state like john mccain or george w. bush did. he has not done a great intense voter outreach with the latinos because he ran out of money after the primary. he -- let me just be absolutely truthful and give smu straight talk as john mccain would say. mitt romney dug himself into a hole with latinos during the primary. he said some things that are coming back to haunt him. he now needs to find a way to dig himself out of that hole. i think the only way he will do it is if he really continues the intense activity outreach with latinos, speaks to latinos as directly as he can and as often as he can between now and november 6th. he has to regain trust. >> all right. >> we have to leave it there.

anna, of course, we'll be watching this, and we'll bring you back tomorrow. he will be talking to all the sing single ladies as well as other folks tonight. good to see you both. >> gracias. >> gracias. first presidential debate tonight. watch it here on cnn starting at 7:00 eastern. >> dozens of whales beach themselves. we'll find out what's going on. p wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. have led to an increase intands clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up? with a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to make

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in indonesia 46 pilot whales end up beached on an island. all but three of them died. chad myers is here to help us understand this. first of all, chad, how did they end up in this location? >> you know, we don't know. we don't even know why whales beach themselves technically. there have been many theories thrown out there. seismic activity, earthquakes. sonar from machines out there, ships that are doing soundings. all kinds of other things. one sick whale leading the way. we'll be able to either stop

what we're doing when w these guys or it's a natural phenomenon that's been going on for millions of years. dwoent know. 46 whales on the shore here. three are technically still alive, and they're keeping them wet and trying to get them back on land or back in the water. the problem is there's been very high tide and low tide extremes here, and so when the water went down, the whales were on the beach. >> was there any way of rescuing or saving more of these whales? >> i don't believe so. >> this is not really a populated wrar. this is a very small island in the middle just not that far from east timor. there was an earthquake about ten days ago in the area. a lot of theories out there about that that if the earth moves and under sea pressures change, the sinuses of these whales can change, but, you know, those are just theories. we're just scratching the surface to our knowledge of what these majestic creatures do and why they end up on beaches sometimes. you can see the -- when they found these guys, they had lots of men and women out there trying to get them back. for most it was too late. >> they look rather small when you think of whales.

they look more like large -- actually large fish. what happens? are they buried, or do we know? >> well, the local custom is here. this has been going on for years, obviously. the local custom is for the people of the islands to come and take the meat off the animals as they die. you know, i hate to say that this benefits these local communities, but, in fact, if this is a source of food for these local areas, that they've been doing this for thousands of years in this area, that's what happens. that's -- they expected this, and when they see it, they go and harvest it. at least the whale is not completely wasted, and just buried as nothing. >> all right. thank you, chad. appreciate it. thanks for the update. costa rica about to become the first country in latin america to make it illegal to go hunting. we're going to tell you why. and trying to squeeze in a workout while you're on the road. our richard quest will show you how it's done. a these guys? -oh, that's just my buds. -bacon. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] donuts. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us?

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>> if you are doing a lot of traveling these days and you are on the suitcase circuit, wft toughest challenges, staying fit when you are hardly staying at home. no worries, however. s our richard quest has a plan that will have you doing push-up in your pj's. >> andrew has been training me for four years. he knows my travel lifestyle well. he has put together a routine of exercises suitable for a hotel room of any size. when you wake up in your pj's, all in ten minutes. >> you are going to sit all day in a meeting, and you probably have been on the plane for four hours up to 16 hours depending how far you've flown, and your body is just stuck. it just wants to move. so move. >> so the workout. six simple steps. >> firstly let's do a squat. the thing about the squat is you're going to be in a sitting

position all day. the squat is not actually to load your body up. it's actually to make muscles move. push-ups. makes you're squeezing your shoulder blades together, and keep your head level with your back. okay. the next one backward lunges. this will mobilize your hips. you want to be straight up. lift your elbows up and, use these muscles. what we are trying to do is just make sure your muscles are moving as much as possible. >> and the stretches. >> sit in this position and sit down and feel that he stretch. >> that is a bit of a challenge. >> try and get your hip closer and get your body up. >> i'm trying. >> and then the last exercise that we'll do just to round everything off, just put your foot up on the bed like that and go into a lunge position and from this position, just open up as much as you can. lean back into it. >> so now to do it for real. in a reasonable amount of time allowing ten to 15 minutes before you have a shower.

the whole routine. ten squats, ten push-ups, ten lunges. ten standing rows, and stretch the glutes and the hip flexors. take a 30 second rest if needed and do the whole lot again twice, and you'll find you still have time for a shower and breakfast. . >> richard quest, he is joining us from london. hi, richard. good to see you. how are you feeling? >> i tell you, a bit of twingeing and hurting, but yesterday we talked about breakfast, suzanne. today it really is all about just keeping -- i've traveled a lot. you have. a good few thousand miles. every bit tightens up. the glutes, the back. what this is really all about, it's not just keeping fit or getting bigger. what this is really all about is doing something. making sure that you do keep the

body moving. if you do it, and i'm not doing a push-up on television, but if you do it, i guarantee you the body feels better for the meetings ahead. >> i agree. i totally agree. i'm more of an outdoor kind of gal. leak to go for a run. i used to travel with my bike. i don't do that anymore because i guess tennis shoes is better than traveling with a bike, but do you ever -- does your trainer wrem rem that you get outside, outside the room, or does it matter at all? >> no. i'm being realistic here. this is not about the geeks or the people who are into this. this is about every traveller who just knows they need to do something. make your arms move. do your push-ups. touch your toes. whatever it is. that's what this is about. otherwise, you will get to our age, or my age, and you will start to wish you had done it sooner.

i'm not saying it's the only hotel room workout, but i am saying it's the one that will make you feel better. >> yeah. it looks pretty good. it looks like you're working up a sweat there, and you don't have to wear, like, fancy gym clothes. can you do it in your pj's. are you in your pj's there, richard? >> i think we'll draw a -- i wore this specifically to make the point that you roll out of bed, you do it in the hotel room, you are into the shower, and you're on with the day. for business travellers like you and me, it's essential. >> all right. you're looking good too, richard, by the way. good to see you. >> thanks. i'm blushing. >> good. >> take a look at what's trending on twilter today. costa rica known for its lush rainforests and eco tourism. now lacks have approved a wildlife conservation law that's going to make costa rica the first latin american country to ban hunting. some native species that will be protected are jaguars, puma, and sea turtles. ahead in the newsroom

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find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. they called their victims by name. that is what nigerian police are telling cnn about the attackers responsible for a bloody massacre at a university housing area. it happened late monday night at a university that is in mumbi, that is not far from the border with cameroon. got to warn you, the pictures you are about to see is rather disturbing. at least 20 people were killed. most of them students. um suzanne malrow. this is hour, the cnn newsroom. president obama and former massachusetts governor mitt

romney taking the stage at the university of denver. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. both men have a lot riding on tonight's first debate. for the most part the president has maintained a steady lead over romney since the democratic convention, but the race is now tightening. i want you to take a look at our latest cnn poll of polls. this is an average of five national polls. among likely voters, the president has 49%. mitt romney at 46%. everybody will be focussing on how these candidates performed. the debate after the debate. well, that, of course, will rage on. what we don't see is the work that goes behind the scenes the night before. our dana bash who sat down with one of the men who is prepping romney for a debate and gives us an inside look. >> if you make a serious accusation against governor romney like that -- >> i simply suggested -- >> you need to explain that. >> you want to try again? i mean -- >> wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't

willing to defend here? >> okay. >> how critical was that moment? >> it was a huge moment in the debates for governor romney. >> why? >> because in that one sentence he was able to take an issue that others had been dogging him with and put it to rest. he was able to communicate clearly. if you are going to milwaukee the charge, make it on the stage, and that really put gingrich in his place. you know, that's happened through -- that happened throughout the primary debates. when pawlenty wouldn't -- if a candidate is not willing to say the same thing on stage face-to-face that they'll say in an interview, we view them as weak. that moment was a moment of strength for governor romney. >> dana bash is joining us life. dana, that was really fascinating. interesting that you spoke to the republican strategist brad o'donnell, one of romney's primary debate here. he spent a lot of time with him during the primaries. how much does the romney think that those 20 or so debates in

the primaries is going to help him win tonight? >> well, of course, any debate that any candidate has they think will help, but, you know, this is a very, very different ballgame. first of all, mitt romney was standing next to about half a dozen people at any given moment. this is mano-y-mano with the president of the united states. also, the tens of millions of viewers will be watching. it is a very different dynamic. that's why, interestingly, suzanne, this is the first time during this debate prep process which mitt romney started about a month ago during the democratic convention, the first time he has done these mock debates through all of those primaries. he never did a formal mac debate with what he called game day conditions. >> wow. that's really interesting. we know that the mock debates are going on this go-around. president obama has been doing it. romney as well. they have a stand-in. they don't fn a lot of people realize. folks actually stand in for them and senator rob portman of ohio claims that president obama -- i understand that he was really, real estate tough on romney, and

romney doesn't even like him anymore, and you spoke with him, right? >> i did. rob portman is really fascinating because he has been playing the democratic stand-in since 2000. he is the republican's go-to guy, and by all accounts, he really sort of takes over the character and the policies of the democrat, in this case president obama. i asked him how he goes about doing that. here's what he said. >> they're likely to express themsdz, what the body language is going to be like. you know, try to imitate the person, but you try to give a pair presentation, you know, to whoever you're working with as to what they're lij to do. people who i have talked to say that he reads up, he -- on the person in terms of their policies and m case of president obama read his autobiography, watched as many clips of him debating as possible, and to answer your first question, yes,

he is very, very tough on anybody he is debating and sparring with, including mitt romney, and the point is that they want to be prepared for the worst when they get to the real debate, so if they feel defensive, as some of romney's aides are worried that he might get, he can sort of get it out of his system and react in debate prep as opposed to doing it during the real thing. >> and, dana, you say he is the go-to guy for the republicans for many, many candidates. does he actually take on the persona of the person that they're debating, you know? does he try to impersonate obama in any way? >> i tried to get him to role play to see if there was sort of an "snl" future for him. >> exactly. >> he wouldn't go there with me. i have asked that question, and for rob portman, i'm told that he doesn't, you know, imitate barack obama per se, but he really embodies him with regard to the kind of -- the way he

talks, the kind of things that he would say, the phrase of a sentence or two, and, of course, how he feels about policies. he says maybe it's a little bit scary that i have come to know the other side's policies so well, but he also said it has prepared him and made him a better legislator because he actually has had to really own the positions and policies of the other side so many times. >> sure. dana, thank you. it's going to be fascinating tonight. good to talk to you, as always. >> thank you. >> the debate will focus on domestic policy only. only half the time dedicated to the economy. there will be a segment on health care as well. another on the role of government and one on governing leadership and style. it's here tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. >> i do tell him to have fun and relax and just be himself. >> the first lady and ann romney tell us how they're going to help their husbands through tonight's debate. >> he will find me in the audience to see was that good?

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trying to gain some traction in tonight's first big debate? well, one area where mitt romney is facing a huge hurdle in overcoming the lead that president obama has is with latino voters. take a look at this. cnn-orc poll of latino's voters choice for president whopping 70% for president obama compared to 26% for mrr. romney doing worse than john mccain did in 2008. mccain got 31% of the latino vote. worse than bush. bush got back in 2004, 44% of latino votes. barbara is joining us live from denver. one of romney's senior advisors and co-chair of his effort in virginia. toercht's debate, first of all, it's on domestic policy, but how does mitt romney -- how does he appeal more to latino voters because clearly even colorado,

he has to get at least a quarter to one-third to make some real inroads there. >> sure. i think the way he appeals to latino voters and women voters and all voters is he is going to focus on an optimistic vision of how we can truly be better off over the next four years with an economy that really makes -- in a policy, a strategy that puts jobs first. we've seen that we aren't better off after four years of the obama economy. it's not working. the stimulus failed. the health care is -- bill is now increasing our premiums. you just have a report that i believe you all and others have reported on today that shows that 27 million americans will still be uninsured even with the trillions and trillions of dollars of costs in obama care. plus, more people will be out of work because of the small business tax increases from obama care, so what mitt romney is going to talk about is appeal to how we can do so much better. we need to invest in small businesses in latinos and women

and, you know, people who are coming to this country often are starting small businesses, and that's -- we can't be putting new taxes on those small businesses, and we need to have new health care. >> is he going to get -- >> will also help -- >> i'm sorry. is he going to be more specific on what type of loopholes he is talking about, exemptions, to offset these tax cuts that he is proposed to grow the economy. is he going to provide more specifics? >>. >> when president romney works on the economy and health care issues, he will do it in an open and transparent way. they've already said they want to have congress and everybody involved and when governor romney was governor in massachusetts, he worked with an 85% legislator -- legislature and was able to cut taxes over a dozen times while he was cutting spending, but did he it collaboratively, openly, and with his administration that was half women were in the cabinets, so i think he is going to have a dynamic and open policy where he

is going to work with everybody on getting those specifics that we're all collectively involved in. >> i'm sure -- >> you saw the health care bill. >> it's going to hurt us being able to develop new medical devices to cure people. we need to have a plan that works. >> i'm sure he is getting advice from people had about how to perform. anna navarro spoke to us about what he needs to do and what he should avoid, and here's what she told us just this last hour. >> i would say to him, mitt, don't try to be funny. you're at your best when you are serious. do not sing. go out there, be authentic, be genuine. now everybody is going to be looking for singers. because somebody in his campaign talked about him prepping singers. if you are going to deliver a singer, make sure it come out looking genuine, authentic, and

spontaneous, and i think he does need to get specific, and he needs to also smile, be likable. he has a likability gap. you know, he is -- he can be likable. go and be on, and no oops moment. >> all right. she pretty much covers it all. barbara, do you agree? >> well, listen, i think you're going to see mitt romney talk about a very optimistic future in a very, you know, detailed way and in a way that people will understand. this is somebody who has succeeded at everything he has done in his career, and he has a passion for turning around this economy and putting the unemployed 23 million people back to work and making sure we have policies that lift up everybody. we want to raise everybody's income. i mean, that's the american story. i mean, we've -- the middle class has been buried over the past four years, but we need a vibrant middle class. you know, joe biden was right, but we have to have a vibrant middle class, and that's what mitt romney has the prescription and knows how to do.

>> all right. going to have to leave it there, barbara, thank you for joining us. appreciate it. remember this moment? >> in ohio. 150,000 jobs, and in the great state of michigan, 211,000 good-paying -- >> of course, that's jennifer granholm, former michigan governor rocking the crowd at the democratic national convention. she is rocking it again and is going to talk about how she thinks tonight's debate is going to pan out. we'll talk to her live this hour. also, some republican sources are dredging up video they say is exclusive of president obama speaking to ministers five years ago. praising his pastor at the time. our local political unit found it's neither exclusive nor new. we'll see what all the fuss is about. ♪

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just hours to go between the showdown between president obama and mitt romney. what have they been doing to get rid? former michigan governor jennifer granholm is joining us from new york where she hosts a show on current tv. governor, good to see you. jennifer. jon exactly -- >> call me jennifer, suzanne,

for sure. call me jennifer. >> i'll call you jennifer. you were the stand-in for sarah palin when joe biden was prepping in 2008. we were all wondering what's going on behind the scenes. how important is it this prepping for debate now? >> oh, it's huge. i mean, can you look at books and study policy papers all you want. there is no substitute for standing behind a podium and having everything but the kitchen sink thrown at you and formulate phrases to communicate. there's no substitute, and no one loves to do it. no one wants to do it, although i must say joe biden was very game in 2008 to do it. >> tell us what it looks like. who is actually in the room? this is a pretty secretive process zoosh yeah, i mean, i don't know what they're doing this year, but i can tell you in 2008 they have the policy people there. you remember that biden and obama were just sort of marrying as a team, and so we had some obama people and some biden people in the room. the folks who know the issues extremely well. the room itself is set up -- the

stage exactly like the debate will be, so when you do the mock debates, you're really in character. you don't -- you do the timing of the debates, the format exactly the same, so that you're comfortable with that kind of format, so it is really a very serious effort, and it can be a lot of fun, though, too, i must say. >> i read that you wore the red dress and the glasses to impersonate sarah palin. >> i did. i did the whole thing. yeah. for sure. you bet. i got it. >> even -- even the you betcha. that's a good impersonation. john kerry, he is the stand-in nosh mitt romney this go around. what is he doing with the president? i assume that there's a lot of tough policy questions. are they practicing zingers as well? how are they actually doing that? >> you know, i'm not sure how it's working out for them, but i can tell you what i would do or what normally is done. the challenge is that you are on offense. you are going to take incoming

scuds, and you're going to have to respond to those and pivot, so the challenge in debate practice is how can you get to talking about what you want to talk about rather than chasing a rabbit down the hole. well, if you can imagine, suzanne, when you are standing behind a podium and somebody is attacking you, whether it's on your -- about something personal or about a policy or they're lying about you, you want with every fiber of your being to attack back or to respond, but the question is you only have so much real estate, and you have to pick your battles because you want to make sure you make your offensive case as well, and then you want to throw your opponent off by attacking him, so it's all three of those that are going on, and that's really what a lot of the practice behind the scenes in a debate is going to be about. >> does the practice end up going to the very end, or is there sort of a cut-off point where it's no longer really advantageous or beneficial to do this kind of back and forth? >> you know, you want to get as much of it in as you possibly can. obviously, there's a sort of psychic space that the candidate needs to be able to get in their game, but honestly, you want to go as long. i don't know if they would be

doing it, you know, up to the very last minute today because you need to have some downtime, but you want to get as many moments as you possibly can, and especially like for the president, he is out doing prime minister stuff, so he hasn't had the chance to get in a room and respond in that way. needs every bit of that, and especially given the format, he wants to be able to practice shortening answers, pivoting, attacking. that -- all that stuff is really important. >> all right. let's talk about your big moment. the national democratic national convention. i was there. the audience went crazy, bananas. >> they were crazy. >> let's play a little bit of that moment. >> all across america. autos are back. manufacturing is rebounding. why? >> all right. jennifer -- >> it was wild, suzanne.

>> i don't even think the president got that kind of applause, and the twitter-verse went crazy. i don't know if you even realized what was going on at the time. while you were speaking, one of the tweets -- i had to retwreet it. it said i'll have what she's having. >> i did not have any red bull. i was not -- didn't have any medication. i was high on democracy. i can tell you that the crowd -- it was such a surprise because normally you have been to these conventions. you speak, and the crowd is out there milling about, and the people in the back tell you don't worry, they won't pay attention to you. just talk to the people at home. so i sort of expected that that's what would happen, and when they started to have a sort of call and response, it was -- and they tell you because we were really late. keep going, keep going because you don't want to take any time, so hi to start yelling over the crowd, and at one point, which you just showed, they were so loud i had to stop, and they started chanting usa. anyway, it was a hoot, i'll just say that. >> it was amazing to actually feel the energy in that room at

the time. i want to bring you home to michigan to wrap this up. mitt romney, of course, born in michigan, his father was governor of michigan, and his mother ran for the u.s. senate. this is a state that is very competitive, but he is losing michigan. the latest polls show he is trailing obama. he is 46% in that state. that's still pretty -- that's a very small margin there when you think about the fact that he didn't even support the auto bailout. why so competitive, your former state of michigan? >> well, i -- listen, is he going to lose michigan, and is he going to lose michigan because he stabbed us in the back when we were on our knees, and he continues to do it. michigan, though, is a purplish state. when i was elect as a democrat, i had a republican house, republican senate, republican supreme court, republican attorney general. so it's not a democratic state necessarily. it is, you know, a state that can go either way. he is going to lose because he really hurt us by taking out

that op ed that said let detroit go bankrupt. it's not going to be forgotten. >> we'll leave it there. jennifer granholm, good to see you, as always. >> great to see you too, suzanne. thank you. >> thank you. in conservative media outlets are behind a campaign of what they're calling a message mystery here. they're pointing to a speech made by president barack obama five times a year ago. it shows the president's personal opinions about race in the katrina aftermath, and they say that nobody has even seen it before, but here's a speech they're talking about. we're going to take a look at it. it is june of 2007. then senator barack obama speaking at the university of virginia. looks like, of course, it was recorded at a stf have tv station, and that tv station, a cnn affiliate, and cnn covered a lot of the networks covered, as a matter of fact. it was not recently dug up, and it is not new. joe johns is watching the story very closely from washington. joe, first of all, in covering the candidate, i know it's not new. i mean, we all saw this speech. we covered it, and we covered the whole issue of reverend wright. very extensively with the

president and even with the first lady in putting many questions to them about this. what's the fuss? >> well, suzanne, you know and i know this is a political year. it could be -- thinking they have an exclusive, running with it as soon as they saw it. either way safe to say, yes, this is old news. the reason it gets attention from conservative -- it's really -- he has never fully shared with the american people but shaped his policies behind the scenes. for example, that's the premise of binesh's movie out in theaters. it's sort of a conservative doom's day scenario of a president's second term. it's made something like almost $30 million in theaters across

the country, and according to the daily caller, this tape and other things like it just provide more fodder for those ideas. >> i want to show, yovrl, the event that was covered by wolf blitzer. we also had it as well. mary snow the very same day talking about it. just play a quick clip here. >> barack obama suggesting there's a disconnect and a serious disconnect in the african-american community, and he is invoking the memory of the deadly 1992 los angeles riots. >> these quiet riots that take place every day are born from the same place as the fires in destruction and the police decked out in riot gear. they happen when a sense of disconnect settles in and hope dissipates. >> well, to a conference of black ministers that hurricane katrina exposed some of those quiet riots. >> this administration was

color-blind in its incompetence, but -- but everyone here knows that the disaster and the poverty happened long before the hurricane hit. >> all right. so, joe, are they still saying this wasn't covered by the media? clearly it shows that our outlets as well as many others were. >> well, i checked "the daily caller" website just a little while ago, and it's still calling it exclusive. "the caller" says on its website that no complete video of the hampton speech was widely relike i said, suzanne. cnn did cover the speech extensively, especially the idea of the quiet riot remarks. there are transcripts of his prepared remarks, but cnn did not cover the shout-outs to reverend wright and other small nuggets that "the daily caller" and others thought were exclusiveives, suzanne. >> joe johns. thank you, joe. if you plan to keep score tonight during the debate, there are five things you should look out for. here's one of them.

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>> what are the things that ka swing viewer opinion? i want to bring in john aviland. viewers, what should they be watching? paul steinhauser and peter both telling us their five things we have to look for. the first one, well, will one candidate appear more presidential? >> this is the ultimate test. whether mitt romney is standing next to president obama can convince the american people that they can envision him as president, and this is a delicate balancing act. it really affects how much candidates go on offense versus defense. the key is to be what might be called respectfully aggressive. to walk that line with -- when you are trying to attack and make a point that you don't overreach. that's the key question of the

american people's mind. can this man, mitt romney, be president? how does he stand up next to a president on the stage? of course, president obama has a natural advantage in this because he is not running for president. he is president. >> all right. >> it is the key criteria, and campaigns shouldn't lose sight of that. >> we know this is a debates that revolves around domestic policy here. the other question is will mitt romney actually try to bring up libya into the debate because they've been so critical on the president? they think perhaps this is a weakness. >> it absolutely is. polls show it. we're almost at the one-month mark since the attack on our benghazi consulate, and the ambassador's killers haven't been brought to justice. the romney campaign will be trying to decide how they can bring this very powerful breaking news issue into a debate that's supposed to be set aside exclusively for domestic affairs. i don't think they'll pass it up and stand on ceremony because there is a growing investigation. members of congress are going to be looking into this, and what might be called a benghazi backlash. the question is how they will try to insert libya foreign

policy into a domestic policy debate. >> it's supposed to break all kinds of records. maybe 50 million people will be watching tonight. a lot of those people unemployed, very frustrated with their own lives. the other question, of course, who will make the better case on improving the economy? >> that's right. economy is issue number one, as you well known, suzanne, and president obama has been been able to make up some gains against mitt romney on this issue. here's the real question. can they appeal to those middle class voters that both folks are fighting over. not make the debate about themselves, but about who can best solve their problems. mitt romney just needs to make the case that he can do better than the president. the president will be trying to frame that debate that do you want a return to bush era policy that is got us into the mess? both candidates need to be aware that they're not simply attacking the other guy, but proposing new plans, giving those undecided swing voters at home, particularly members that squeeze middle class a reason to believe that the future will be better if their plans are implement implemented. >> this seems to be a real weakness for mitt romney here,

and this is obviously the issue of latinos and women, but is the president going to widen his lead with women and latinos and will mitt romney make up any difference there? >> mitt romney has got to make inroads here because the gender gap and the latino gap are huge, and they have been growing, according to cnn polls and many other polls. mitt romney has tried to pivot on some issues, such as the dream act, in an effort to appeal to latinos. a significant policy shift, but the republican party can't simply win with white guys. they need to reach out to women and latinos. that is an obligation. especially in a state like colorado which has an increasing latino population. >> then finally, the zingers. that's it is things that people actually remember, but will it help or could it backfire? >> well, it's the art of a soundbyte, and, of course, it's one of the things that made ronald reagan such an effective debater. lines like there you go again, which really defanged jimmy cart ner that 1980 race. mitt romney's team leaked that they were practicing some zingers, but humor doesn't often work when it's too practiced, so

when you set the bar that people are going to be looking for those zingers, which is sort of an awful word, by the way, from mitt romney, people really will be analyzing and focussing maybe disproportionately on that. the president's team being careful to say that they're not focused on zingers or sound bytes, but they want to focus on the substance. people remember the sounds bytes, but you can't put style over substance in a presidential debate. >> let's see what people recall tomorrow. it's going to be fascinating to watch. thanks, don. good to see you. >> the wives of the candidates are telling cnn how toe plan to support their husbandses. here are the unusual things ann romney says her husband does during every debate. just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. romney: "it's time to stand up to the cheaters" vo: tough on china? not mitt romney. when a flood of chinese tires threatened a thousand american jobs...

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all eye on president obama and mitt romney as they go face-to-face for the first time tonight. perhaps nobody will be watching more closely than their better halves. the candidate's wives michelle obama and ann romney, you're going to hear from both of them. both have been talking to cnn, and want to focus, first of all,

on the first lady. michelle obama speaking with our own jessica yellin. >> i get so nervous at these debates. ip, i'm like one of those parents watching their kid on the balance beam. you're just standing there just trying not to, you know, have any expression at all. >> i've read that before a speech you tell him have fun, but it's a little bit different because it's more of a competition, more like a game of one-on-one. what's your motivational advice to him before -- >> you know, he doesn't need much advice. he has been doing this for quite some time, so he knows -- he knows the job. he has been doing it for quite some time. he is a very good debater. i do tell him to have fun and relax and just be himself because the truth is if he is the barack obama, the country has come to know and trust, he is going to do a great job. >> some of his aides have said one of his challenges is to keep the answers short. i know that you have said that you critique his speeches afterwards. >> oh, no, i don't critique his

speeches afterwards, actually. i give him -- you know, i give him my positive reinforcement. >> only positive? >> generally, yeah, because he is a great speaker, you know? he is good at this. >> do you think he has any challenges going in? >> you know, i haven't really -- you know, i would have to think about that afterwards, but going into it, i think he will do his best. snoo now to the woman that would like to be first lady. ann romney spoke candidly and emotionally with our gloria borge wr. the company has been married for 43 years. let's listen in. >> i feel like that's my role for mitt. especially when he is going through such a difficult time. i'm there for him. we're there for each other emotionally all the time. in the last 20 debates that we did in the primary, i felt that was my most important role. >> how do you do that? >> you know, it's a cute thing that he does. almost after every answer, he finds me in the audience. as soon as he gets on stage, the first thing he does is he takes off his watch and puts it on the

podium. then he writes dad on a piece of paper. that's amazing because he loves his dad, respects his dad, doesn't want to do anything that would not make his father proud. just a reminder that, yes, i'm here, but dad, i love and respect who you are, what you have taught me, what kind of a person you are, and i'm going to honor that, and so i love the fact that mitt does that. he writes that, and then he looks in the audience and finds me. he has to find where i am. he just needs just that connection, and almost after every answer that he gives, he will find me in the audience to see was that good? was that okay? >> what do you do? >> good. good. >> what if you don't like what he did? >> oh, oh. no, i don't -- oh. i don't do any of that. >> so even on stage -- >> there's an emotional connection that's happening

between the two of us during the debate itself. >> you can watch the entire interviews cnn did with michelle obama and ann romney during tonight's debate coverage starting at 7:00 eastern. debates they can be the turning point for any candidate. we'll play smu moments from past presidential elections that really made the difference. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years.

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call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. millions will watch don't's first presidential debate, but it all comes down to the two men on stage. the public will per sea one as a winner, and nuance can make all the difference, as hifrt shows us. 1960 john f. kennedy and richard nixon squared off in the very first televised debate. while nixon was known for being a fierce debater on camera he looked nervous, sweating profusely under the hot camera lights, whereas kennedy looked calm, cool, collected. forces those that watched the debate, kennedy was the winner, but for those who listened to the debate on radio, they

thought nixon won. in the end it was kennedy who won the presidential race. well, of course, humor can also have an affect on the debates. 1908 ronald reagan repeatedly attacked by president jimmy carter for his stance on health care, but reagan won fans with his response. check it out. >> governor reagan, again, typically is against such a proposal. >> governor, there you go again. >> all right. want to bring in presidential historian douglas brinkley. good to see you, as always. let's just start by seeing that moment. how significant was that between carter and reagan? >> oh, it was big. if you go back to 1980, you have jimmy carter, the sitting president, but he had double digit inflation, long gasoline lines, and iran hostage crisis against him, but reagan was seen as perhaps too right-wing, too extreme. do you really want his finger on the nuclear button? at that debate you had 10% of the public undecided, and it was in a dead heat reagan-carter, while reagan came out the winner, and it was done -- he

won it because he seemed funny, made carter seem a little bit like a square or something a little odd about him, flakey. so reagan's personality started surging after the debate, and he went on to win one of the great landslides in u.s. presidential electoral history. >> how important is personality? >> i think it's everything. i mean, we take about the economy over and over again. people on cnn come on and say it's all about the economy. we also have to say do we want to live with mitt romney, for example, for the next four years. every day on the news. are we comfortable with that person, our representative abroad, representing american values of going to a crisis katrina-like crisis and representing the american people, and we know what barack obama is like in that role. he has been at it now for almost four years, so it's really an audition for mitt romney in front of 50 million american people. >> doug, you have watched many of these. you have analyzed many of these rsh you are calling this one

historical. a historical event. why? >> because we're in this weeshd cycle here where barack obama is a president with over 8% unemployment. usually that means you lose, but mitt romney has run a lackluster campaign, particularly in august and september. you are starting to see in the swing states barack obama pulling ahead in virtually all of the polls, and if he comes and gets any more momentum, he has the momentum right now, obama, and he doesn't get stopped at all, then it could be a break-out for the president. on the other hand, mitt romney tonight is such an underdog, people don't think he is that fantastic of debater. they're underestimating him. he is quite good. he comes and seeming to have parody with the president and maybe get that zinger they're rehearsing so hard, get one in that works and hits this youtube media cycle playing over and over again. romney could turn into the swing states and there will be a dead heat again, and we'll be marching into october with it

just being a toss-up. nobody really knowing who is ahead. >> doug, how important is this? we'll be watching. some people will be listening to it. you form your own opinion as it's happening here, but then there's all the post-debate spin that goes on afterwards. how influential is that in determining who actually won the debate? >> i think it is gigantic, and it's not talked about enough. cnn tonight, people will be watching on cnn. who have you guys chosen to make the first comments out of it, and what do those people say within about a minute or two can start making the viewers say, yeah, that's right. he did screw up. what clip gets played the most in the first 20 minutes after the debate? a lot of people aren't junkies for politics and aren't staying up all night watchinging this, but they will watch the debate and then listen to maybe ten, 15, 20 minutes of banter afterwards, so you are going to have both the democrats and republicans just swamping reporters and hitting the internet trying to get their word out in a nanosecond.

in fact, twitter now will have people like david axelrod or romney's top people that will be twittering within the middle of the debate saying can you believe the president just screwed up or can you believe romney said that? >> it's going to be a fascinating evening. i'll be checking my all of the s going to be happening. we're going to be fully engaged tonight. thanks, doug. more after the break. >> hey, thank you. with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro.

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the deadline for american airlines pilots to vote on whether to strike just passed about an hour ago, 1:00 eastern. we may not learn the results anytime soon. why? ceo of the pilots union says he may keep the result a secret, use it as a bargaining chip in contract talks starting up again. american and its pilots have been at odds since a judge last month threw out the union contract. since then, american says pilots have engaged in now a work slowdown that has forced a thousand flights to be canceled and delayed 12,000 more.

the pilots, they deny the claim. in arizona, investigators are searching for the killer of a u.s. border patrol agent along the mexican border. a second agent was also shot. he's expected to recover, however, and authorities haven't said whether the agents returned fire during that shootout. they also haven't named any suspects or even said whether any weapons were found at the scene. 30-year-old nicholas ivie, he was married with two children, he is the 14th border agent killed in the line of duty since 2008. large part of tonight's debate is going to be devoted to the economy, of course, and who is more equipped to turn it around. we'll look at some key stats to show how the economy is actually doing right now. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim.

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pressing each other on the whole issue of jobs. what does the picture look like for jobs? >> you know, with jobs, it is improving slowly, but the reality is it is just not great. we got another little sliver of information today from adp, it said private sector employment gained by 162,000 jobs in september, but this is just a clue of what to expect on friday from the government jobs report. that's really the biggie, the report that counts. it factors in the private sector jobs, it counts government jobs which actually have been shrinking and the expectation is that the economy added 110,000 jobs in september. and, you know, that would be just be okay, because the reality is we have got a long way to go. in early 2009, the economy lost over 800,000 jobs a month. this by the way is the year that president obama took office. compared to that, 110,000 on friday would be good. but over the past few years, the job market has been kind of stuck. we have been adding enough jobs to keep up with population growth. >> talk about housing here. we have seen some recent

improvements. do we think it is in full recovery mode? >> economists think it is, the housing recovery could be taking hold at this point. there was a cnn money survey done that said nine out of 14 economists say that home prices are higher or will turn higher this year. home prices have been going up over the past three months. we can put up a chart here to show you that the small increase, if you can see it on the right side of the screen there, it means prices have found the bottom, that's a good sign for the recovery to take hold in housing. home sales are also higher. home construction is rebounding. mort rates are at record lows. all this stuff helps push along the housing recovery. suzanne. >> you got improvement of jobs, a recovery in housing here, a lot of people, however, still suffering. how do you square that? >> yeah, because, think about it, the economy is not back to normal. look at growth. gdp growth in the second quarter of this year is at a measly 1.3% rate. that's a slowdown from the previous two quarters. it is expected to remain weak because you have the european debtsi